3 Tips to Get Strong AF - Part I

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing well! :) Getting strong, lean, and powerful - that's what everyone wants to be like. But how do you get there? How do you build muscle and burn fat without dieting and being miserable all the time? Well, it takes time - consistency is key. My three "secrets" on how to get your dream body and achieve your health goals on a sustainable bases are:

1. Lift heavy weights & stop doing endless hours of cardio

2. Eat enough nutritious food

3. Incorporate occasional fasting and a cyclical ketogenic diet

Today I will focus only on point number one. Compared to cardio, weight training has a greater positive impact upon hormones, brain function, body weight, and chemical balances. That being said, I am not hating on cardio at all, I myself am an endurance athlete – I play soccer! I just believe that there is a time and place for cardio training and that there are types of cardio training that are "healthier" and more beneficial than others. I personally have changed my training to get into soccer shape quite a bit, for example, I am now focusing a lot more on interval training and heavy lifting than I ever before – and guess what?! I am fitter and also feel better than ever before. Now, let’s look at some of the benefits of resistance training.

1. Resistance Training will change your hormonal profile for the better.

You will experience higher testosterone, human growth hormone (HGH), and IGF-1 levels. To my ladies out there, NO that will not make you look manly and you won’t grow a beard either ;)

• Testosterone is among other things important to induce muscle growth and maintenance, increase metabolism, and increase confidence.

• For the purpose of this post, we’ll just consider HGH, which does a lot of stuff, but the three most important aspects are that it: increases gluconeogenesis, spares lean muscle tissue, and liberates fatty acids from lidiposites. In short, it helps you burn fat and hold on to lean muscle mass – amazing! :)

2. Other Hormonal Changes.

• Endorphins – I call them the happy hormones :) They are secreted from the pituitary gland, block pain, reduce anxiety, and increase feelings of euphoria. After a workout, your body increases the secretion of endorphins and you are simply feel happier.

• Cortisol regulation – I call it the mood hormone. Cortisol is a very important hormone, but too much of it can lead to increased feelings of stress and anxiety. Exercise helps regulate your cortisol levels and thus, helps regulate your mood, motivation, and fear response.

• Insulin regulation – Lifting weights will improve your insulin sensitivity, which is soooo important, but more on insulin sensitivity another time, because it truly deserves its own topic. For now all you need to know is that in order to burn fat, you have to be insulin sensitive.

• Glucagon – the counter-partner of insulin. It is elevated during and post exercise and encourages the breakdown of stored glycogen, but also proteins and fats, to release of glucose into the bloodstream that is then used for energy!

• Catecholamines – Increased secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline will increase your heart rate and alertness; They will want you to workout harder. Moreover, put very simply, they will help you burn fat by activating adipose triglycerides and hormone sensitive lipase (HSL).

• Adiponectin – a protein hormone that is said to protect against insulin resistance and diabetes is elevated because of weight training. Moreover, it helps regulate glucose and fat breakdown.

3. Grow Muscle Mass.

• Increases in muscle mass are correlated with a higher resting metabolic rate, which means that you will burn more fuel (fat) simply by sitting on your couch. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?

• Increases in muscle mass will make you look amazing, as simple as that! :)

4. Strong Bones.

• This point is especially important for women post menopause, because during that time bone mineral density drops drastically making the bones weak.

• You can increase and grow your bone mineral density by actually getting under the bar and lifting heavy. If you are an unexperienced lifter, don’t be discouraged, I can help you setting up a program that will ease you into lifting and get your bones stronger in no time.

5. Increased Metabolism. Your metabolism will be elevated after a strength training session, which means that you will burn more calories even after you stop exercising, isn’t that amazing?

6. Improved Mobility, Posture, and Balance.

7. Anti-aging Benefits. Considering longevity, weight training is the way to go.

I hope you enjoyed this post, it was definitely a little more sciency - but like I mentioned in my bio, I am a science nerd :) As always, contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Oh, and check out my instagram @choosefitness now, too. I made a short vide where I talk about all three secretes to get that strong body!

Bye for now,

Hanna